Architecture is not about learning plans and implementing them but is also about how it changes the learnings of our lives. It initiates a great impact on our lifestyle. The journey of an architect from being an artist to what they are now is a journey of learnings and teachings. I, as a student of architecture, have had a lot of such learnings in these 5 years which has built up my personality to what it should have been to face the challenges of life.
Learnings
“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.”
Learnings in life help in the growth building of the person itself. College teaches us a lot about life and survival. Now, you must be wondering what architecture has given me all these years? I never perceived anything about architecture before I entered college but something I could never think was waiting for me. The learnings that changed my perception about architecture as well as made my personality are:
Time Management
“27 sheets for BMC, 7 for design, and a concept sheet that’s all that I need from you all”. The first year – I wanted to tell the teacher not to put so much burden on the newbies for such an impossible task.
But, gradually with a period of time due to intense time pressure, it gave me the opportunity to prioritize my tasks wisely. During the internship days, this pressure helped me bring a great output within the time and saved me from facing any difficulty where time played a major role. So, down the line maybe while starting an architecture degree one blames the hardships they have to face while reaching certain goals, but if we look at the bigger picture, it grows your personality without letting you know about it.
Patience
Patience is the key to success. Not everyone has this ability to stay calm during hard times or I would say jury times. The work pressure and submissions made me think with a sorted mind which led to giving me bright ideas for my work. Impatience leads you to a much duller yet sadder part of a life which no one wants to face. My starting years of architecture were full of impatience and wrapping up things as soon as possible which somewhere affected my submissions and me as well.
You try adapting to nature once you find yourself comfortable in it and it becomes your habit once comfortable. So, it took me quite a few years to bring my patience back which not only helped me in my submissions but also helped me in getting more creative ideas. So, to be competent architect patience is the best feature to be learned and implemented in life.
Making Mistakes
The opportunity of making mistakes is given by none but taken by one which tells us that not everyone gets a chance to make mistakes and the one who gets one does not leave a chance to miss it. Architecture comforts you to experiment with certain ideas, realize your own mistakes that are less productive, and then get rid of them as soon as possible so that moving to a viable solution becomes easier.
Making mistakes helps us master the art of making and realizing our faults rather than spending our precious time on something which is fruitless.
Receiving Criticism
Every student in architecture has always been critiqued about their design forms, their sketching skills, and whatnot. Taking criticism seriously on a personal level makes your morale down and puts your work in doubt and leaves your mind to do the negative thinking. It’s always hard to pin your ears back to an outside observer and see them tear your project to which you have put your heart and soul.
Tough reviews and inputs only help to make you and your project see a different perspective of the same idea. Many students take it personally and blindly start defending their work without absorbing the feedback of the observer making it ugly. This is not what you would want to be in an architectural college and would want to make a mark on yourself.
There is a thin line between being argumentative and clearing a misunderstanding about the idea. The day you will understand and inculcate positive criticism in your work, you will see the difference in your life and the work that you are into.
Improved Presentation Skills
Practice makes a man perfect is a well said saying for the presentation skills that we as architects face in our everyday work. Whether you are describing your ideas to your group members or you are trying to influence your professor or you are representing your design in the final review, architecture is full of presentations available in all sizes and shapes.
If you have a clear understanding of your work, you will be able to market your skills with a great argument which will further help in improving your personality. Taking pride in your work and speaking confidently about it can get you far in your profession.
Learning To Analyze Buildings According To The Design
Analysing the space is what design taught us and me as well making it an easier world of buildings. Some of the ideas and thoughts that are actually relevant and can be practised in real life are:
- The experience of a space can be felt by its arrival path.
- The more the design is specific and to the point the more its appeal is likely to be.
- Try framing a view before exhibiting the work.
- The lettering, line weights and straight lines play a very important role in shaping what a building plan is about to depict.
Learnings have always upgraded the personality along with the work going on. All the presumptions, learnings and criticisms have only helped us see life and work with a different perspective altogether and have helped us a lot in building not only designs but personalities. So, “never stop learning because life never stops teaching.”
References
101 Things I Learned in Architecture School. – kevinnowak.com. (n.d.). Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://knowak.typepad.com/knowak/2009/04/101-things-i-learned-in-architecture-school.html
101 Things I Learned in Architecture School.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://www.scribd.com/document/429685797/101-Things-I-Learned-in-Architecture-School-pdf
180 Inspirational Learning Quotes That Will Grow Your Mind. (n.d.). Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://wisdomquotes.com/learning-quotes/
learning quotes – Google Search. (n.d.). Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://www.google.com/search?q=learning+quotes&rlz=1C1CHBF_enIN851IN851&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwia0ciAk-ztAhVY4HMBHaSOACsQ_AUoAXoECBAQAw&biw=1536&bih=722&dpr=1.25
The 13 Most Important Non-Architecture Skills You Learn in Architecture School | ArchDaily. (n.d.). Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://www.archdaily.com/871046/the-13-most-important-non-architecture-skills-you-learn-in-architecture-school
